Call him 'Avalanche Moran'

Only two other Republicans in Congress fared better than the popular Kansan

Posted: Sunday, November 12, 2006

By By Chris MoonThe Capital-Journal

In an election where a decade of Republican rule came crashing down, U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran suffered hardly a scratch.

In fact, the western Kansas politician proved he is among the most popular Republican congressmen in the country.

Moran last week won a sixth term in Congress with 79 percent of the vote.

In a Democrat-dominated election -- where the GOP lost control of the U.S. House in a wave of Democratic upsets, including one in Kansas -- only two other congressional Republicans in America won with a greater percentage of votes, both of them in Louisiana.

But only one of those, like Moran, faced Democratic opposition.

"That's an avalanche," said Joe Aistrup, a political science professor at Kansas State University. "When facing major opposition, 79 percent represents a really strong endorsement by the voters. That means he was supported almost unanimously by Republicans, independents and a good number of Democrats, too."

2006 BLOWOUTS

U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran landed in elite company when he won re-election last week with 79 percent of the vote. In a Democrat-dominated election, only two other congressional Republicans in America won a greater percentage of votes. Here is some blowout trivia from the 2006 congressional elections:

 There are 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, all of which were up for election Nov. 7.

 Of contested seats, only 38 winning congressional candidates garnered 79 percent or more of the vote in their districts.

 Twenty-five of those faced opposition from a major party candidate.

 Only three of those big winners were Republicans -- Kansas Rep. Jerry Moran and Louisiana Reps. Bobby Jindal and Richard Baker.

 Moran faced one Democrat and one Reform Party opponent.

 Baker faced only a Libertarian, winning with 83 percent of the vote. Jindal faced two Democrats and one Libertarian, winning with 88 percent of the vote. (Louisiana doesn't hold a traditional primary election to narrow the field of candidates.)

 The No. 1 percentage-getter in the nation was U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., who garnered a whopping 96 percent of the vote against his Republican opponent to win a ninth term.

Moran's ongoing popularity in his large western Kansas district, even in a down year for the GOP, continues to attract attention from Republicans who want him to run for governor or some other high office in the future.

The congressman said he is leaving his options open. But it appears there are two of them -- the governorship, which he has considered pursuing twice, and the U.S. Senate.

"My interest in what goes on in Topeka and across the state remains strong," Moran said when asked about his future.

Still, he said he was surprised by his success in the recent election compared to his Republican peers.

"It was a difficult climate," he said.

Rare blowouts

Scrolling through the victory margins from the Nov. 7 elections shows 38 congressional candidates met or crossed the 79 percent winning mark set by Moran.

But only three of those blowout candidates were Republicans -- yet another indication of the painful year it was for the GOP, which suffered fallout from the unpopular war in Iraq and scandals in Washington, D.C.

Moran and Louisiana Reps. Bobby Jindal and Richard Baker were the only Republicans to win re-election with 79 percent or more of the vote. But Baker, with 83 percent of the vote, faced only a Libertarian.

Jindal, meanwhile, faced two Democrats and one Libertarian, winning with 88 percent of the vote. Louisiana doesn't hold a traditional primary election to narrow the field of candidates.

Jindal is well known in Louisiana, falling just short of winning the governorship in 2003.

For his part, Moran defeated Democrat John Doll (20 percent) and Reform Party candidate Sylvester Cain (1 percent). It was the first time since 1998 that Moran had faced a Democrat. He won that race with a similar 81 percent of the vote.

In the district

Moran's success, political experts say, can be traced to his efforts to remain active among his constituents and his willingness to bolt from the Republican leadership on key policy issues.

Moran each year tours his enormous district, holding a town hall meeting in each of its 69 counties.

"My map doesn't look any different in even years than it does in odd years," he said.

In those meetings this year, Moran said, he didn't dodge the problems in Washington. He has always said that "staying the course" in Iraq wasn't the best solution.

"You almost never hear me come home defending what's going on in Washington," Moran said.

"They didn't see him as part of the problem," said Aistrup. "He talked openly and honestly about the problems. He wasn't in a state of denial about what was taking place in Iraq."

Moran also has taken numerous votes that have separated him from the Republican majorities in the House.

He voted against the Medicare prescription drug bill. He voted against the No Child Left Behind Act. He voted against the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

His concern seemed to center on the growth of government bureaucracy and spending.

But more recently, he was among a small number of Republicans to vote against military tribunals for terrorism suspects and President Bush's domestic wiretapping program.

"If you wouldn't pass that authority in a Democratic administration, why would we do it in a Republican administration?" he said. "There ought to be a higher standard."

'Deeply' respected

Some of those votes have cost Moran.

He was chided in a book last year by House Speaker Dennis Hastert for his Medicare vote.

Moran now doesn't seem to mind the Democratic takeover in Congress. He said he would have preferred Republicans had won but that the change should be good for the country.

"It presents new opportunities and challenges for me that I find appealing," he said.

Moran says he is good friends with the new Democratic leadership on the House Agriculture Committee. Congress is set to take up a new farm bill.

Meanwhile, Moran has some Democratic admirers.

Nancy Boyda, who defeated Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., on Tuesday, said she wanted to model herself after Moran in how she relates to her 26-county district in eastern Kansas.

"If Republicans talk about me the way Democrats talk about Jerry Moran, I'll have done a good job," Boyda said. "He's home. People who are not happy with all of his votes are happy he is engaged in the local communities, and they respect him deeply."

Chris Moon can be reached at (785) 233-7470 or chris.moon@cjonline.com.